Girl in the Box: US viewers warn UK streaming subscribers about Lifetime movie ahead of premiere

‘Viewers may find some scenes very disturbing,’ a trigger warning for the movie reads

(Lifetime)

A “very disturbing” true-crime movie branded “dreary torture porn” is getting released in the UK after six years.

Later this month, Paramount+ will add the film, titledGirl in the Box, to its streaming library.

However, it’s being noted that this film is not a new release and actually premiered on Lifetime in the US back in 2016.

The film tells the real-life story of a girl named Colleen Stan (Addison Timlin) who, while hitchhiking in 1977, is kidnapped and kept in a coffin-sized box for 23 hours a day.

When her captors, married couple Cameron and Janice Hooker, let her out of the box, they abuse her. Colleen’s ordeal lasted for seven years, during which time she was tortured and forced to sign a “slave contract”.

Having been manipulated by Cameron (Zane Holtz) into believing there were outside forces preventing her escape, she was finally encouraged to escape by Janice, who is played in the film by Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late actor Robin..

The film received middling reviews upon its initial release, with the film receiving a Rotten Tomatoes score of 53 per cent, and an IMDb score of 6.2.

But, many of these reviews highlight the film’s unpleasantness, and issue warnings to prospective viewers about its “heartbreaking” content.

“I hesitate to call this a good movie due to the disturbing true subject matter,” one review on film website Letterboxd read.

Zane Holtz as kidnapper Cameron Hooker in ‘Girl in the Box’ (Lifetime)

Another one read: “A very disturbing and horrifying movie, not recommended if you’re easily affected by stories of abuse.”

The film itself comes with a trigger warning, reading: This film is based on a real story. Viewers may find some scenes very disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.”

Girl in the Box comes to Paramount+ on 19 September.